


got my heart out on my sleeve

by marcel



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, Thanksgiving Fic, and then they real dated
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-24
Updated: 2016-11-24
Packaged: 2018-09-01 22:57:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8641441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marcel/pseuds/marcel
Summary: Jongin has to bring home a date for Thanksgiving dinner, but he's not dating anyone. Chanyeol offers a solution.





	

**Author's Note:**

> based, yet again, on tweets from riha and ang <3  
> here's the disclaimer: i'm canadian so my thanksgiving was last month and i dont know anything about america. happy thanksgive

Jongin hefts his overflowing laundry basket up under his arm with a sigh. He probably should've done a load last week instead of waiting until he was entirely out of clean clothes. At least he only has to carry the basket down one flight of stairs to the dorm laundry room. He just hopes there's enough spare change in his various jeans' pockets to put into the dryers.

"Hey," a familiar voice calls, and Jongin looks up to see Chanyeol coming out of his room across the hall with his own laundry basket. "Heading downstairs?"

"It's that time of the week," Jongin says, locking his door. He waits for Chanyeol to catch up before starting down the hall beside him. "I ran out of clean shirts, like, two days ago, and my last class let out early, so I figured I should take it as a sign."

"I feel that," Chanyeol laughs. "I've definitely been wearing the same jeans for a week or so." He shifts his basket to his other arm to open the stairwell door, and waves Jongin through ahead of him. "I thought I could put it off 'til the weekend, but I'm not even gonna be here."

"Same," Jongin sighs, hopping down the stairs and waiting for Chanyeol at the bottom. "I keep forgetting Thanksgiving's a thing. Can't say I mind having a long weekend, though."

"Anything to put off opening a textbook," Chanyeol says with a sage nod, and leads the way into the laundry room.

It's quiet and empty, unsurprising for the middle of the afternoon, and all the machines are free for once. Jongin sets his basket on top of the closest one and Chanyeol nabs the one next to it. It's become something of a routine for the two of them to do laundry together, ever since first week when they found themselves headed downstairs at the same time and worked together to figure out how to use the finicky dryers.

They don't see each other very often otherwise, despite living on the same floor of the same dorm building, but Chanyeol is always friendly - and good-looking, Jongin admits, sneaking a glance at him as he's loading his machine, but that's beside the point. He's happy for the laundry room companionship and the occasional shared bottle of fabric softener between them.

He finishes tossing his clothes into the machine and stands up, shutting the door with his hip and placing his empty laundry basket on top as the wash cycle starts. Beside him, Chanyeol does the same, then lifts himself up to sit on one of the unoccupied machines with a grin. "So, how'd your midterms go? I feel like I haven't had a chance to ask you."

"I didn't fail anything, so pretty good," Jongin says, meandering over to lean against the next closest machine. "Mostly they just tired me out."

Chanyeol nods in sympathy. "The long weekend's gonna be nice, then. Getting off campus for a few days and relaxing at home."

Jongin's mouth twists. "Yeah, uh. Definitely."

"You don't sound very excited about it," Chanyeol says, raising an eyebrow. He laughs at the resigned pout Jongin gives him. "What's up?"

"I _am_ excited," Jongin sighs, "it's just… my parents think I'm bringing someone home with me to meet them."

"What, like a _significant other_?" Chanyeol gasps comically loud. "Who are you dating?"

"No one, that's the thing!" Jongin whines. "I'm not dating anyone, but I guess I… accidentally told them that I was…?"

Chanyeol snorts, kicking his heels. "How did you manage that?"

"I don't know," Jongin says miserably. "My mom called while I was half asleep, so I just said yes to everything she asked, and next thing I know she's saying she's happy for me and excited to meet whoever I bring home. Before I could backtrack, she hung up."

Chanyeol nods, clearly making an effort to hold back laughter. "So she's eagerly anticipating you coming to the family dinner with a date, which you don't actually have."

"Basically," Jongin sighs, slumping over the washing machine.

"And you can't just call her and explain?"

"That would mean admitting I wasn't listening to her," Jongin says with a grimace, picturing her disappointed face. "Maybe I can fake my own death, or something."

"Whatever works," Chanyeol says, shrugging. "But hey, if you want, I could go with you."

Jongin blinks at him. "You-- what?"

"As your date," Chanyeol clarifies. "We can tell your parents I'm your boyfriend, and just… pretend to date for the weekend." He shrugs again. "Unless you'd rather fake your own death. I can't help much with that one."

"Wait, really? You'd do that?" Jongin asks, gaping at him. He just tossed the idea out like it's no big deal. They aren't exactly close - Jongin hadn't thought Chanyeol would even list him among his friends, let alone the people he'd gladly meet the parents of. Even _Sehun_ hasn't met Jongin's parents. "A-are you sure? You don't have to, I can just call her and deal with it--"

"No, I'd be happy to," Chanyeol says with a grin. "I mean, my family's out of town so I'd just be spending the weekend home alone." His smile falters a little. "You'd be doing me a favour, really."

Jongin bites his lip. It's probably better to just be honest, but if it'd make both him and Chanyeol miserable for the weekend…

"I feel like I'm getting the better end of the deal, here," he says finally, and Chanyeol brightens up again. 

"I'll take that as a yes," he cheers, hopping off the machine. "Also, of course you are, you're getting a free boyfriend out of it."

"A free _fake_ boyfriend - and so are you," Jongin points out.

"Then we're even," Chanyeol says, beaming at him. He drops to one knee in front of Jongin and holds out his hand. "My dear Jongin. We've known each other for maybe three months, and they're included some of the best loads of laundry I've ever done. Will you pretend to date me?"

Jongin can't help smiling down at him, as ridiculous and embarrassing as the whole thing is. "I guess so," he sighs, taking his hand, and laughs as Chanyeol jumps to his feet for a victory lap around the room until both their washing machines beep.

\--

It's not until later, after two loads of laundry and thirty-six hours of ignoring it, that Jongin panics. On one hand, Chanyeol is nice. Super nice, even, and clearly willing and eager to help out a friend in need. Chanyeol is also super hot, which is becoming harder and harder for Jongin to avoid thinking about now that he knows he'll be spending the weekend in close proximity to him, pretending to be his boyfriend. Neither of these things are inherently bad.

On the other hand, though, he and Chanyeol haven't spent much time around each other. What if when they do, Chanyeol decides that Jongin isn't worth this much effort? What if they're just bad at acting like a couple and Jongin's parents see right through them? What if the weekend is a disaster and things are awkward between them for the rest of the year and they never do laundry together ever again?

"Jongin?" Chanyeol touches his arm, bringing him back to the present. "You okay?"

They're on a bus headed from campus to his parents' house, each with a backpack full of clothes to last the weekend and notebooks to make it look like they're going to study. The bus is crowded with rained-on tired-looking students, the ride is almost two hours long, and Chanyeol's leg is pressed right up against Jongin's. He sighs out a long breath. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Listen, I was thinking about some things we might get asked," Chanyeol says, turning in his seat a little. "How we met, and stuff like that."

Jongin nods along. "Do you want to make something up?"

"Actually, I think it's better if we tell the truth," Chanyeol says. "So, we met on campus. We live in the same building. We got to be friends, and then--"

"Started dating in the laundry room?" Jongin suggests.

"Exactly," Chanyeol laughs. "The less we actually lie about, the better."

"What about if someone asks what I see in you?" Jongin teases.

Chanyeol shrugs. "Just say you wanted me for my body, or something. If they take one look at me, they'll believe you."

Jongin muffles laughter into his hands. "What are you going to say if you get asked the same thing about me?"

Chanyeol considers it for a moment, giving Jongin a thoughtful look up and down that makes his cheeks feel warm. "How about your work ethic and desire to do well in your studies?"

Jongin snorts. "My parents will never believe that."

"Okay," Chanyeol laughs, slinging his arm over Jongin's shoulders. "What about your dazzling personality, or your lovely smile, or the way you said ' _I guess_ ' when I asked you to go steady?"

Jongin tries his best to pout at him, but doesn't quite manage it around his giggles. "You better charm the pants off my parents," he warns, crossing his arms.

"I'm planning on it," Chanyeol says with a grin. "Don't you worry."

But Jongin does worry, all the way off the bus and down the street to his parents' house, and then all the way up the driveway to the front door. He's considering whether or not he can still pull of faking his own death when Chanyeol takes his hand and gently twines their fingers together. Jongin gives him a confused look and finds Chanyeol smiling back at him.

"Relax," he whispers, leading Jongin the last few steps to the door. "It's gonna be fine, trust me."

"I'm trying my best," Jongin whispers back, then takes a deep breath and opens the door.

"I'm home," he calls, hoping his voice doesn't shake - but his mom appears in the hall almost immediately, and he can't help smiling as soon as he sees her. She's wearing an apron and oven mitts, but neither stops her from wrapping Jongin in a tight hug. Jongin hugs back one-armed, his other hand still linked with Chanyeol's, and when she pulls back she seems to notice him for the first time.

"Oh, who's this?" she asks, standing back to look at both of them. She definitely sees their joined hands, if they tiny knowing smile on her face is any indication.

Jongin resists the urge to hide behind Chanyeol and makes himself speak. "This is Chanyeol, my… boyfriend."

She must take any uncertainty in his voice as shyness - either that, or Chanyeol's smile hypnotizes her into believing them - because she rushes forward to give Chanyeol a hug, too. "It's lovely to meet you, Chanyeol. I'm so glad you could come."

"Well, thank you for the invitation," Chanyeol says with another charming smile. "I'm really glad to be here."

She grins as she ushers them both down the hall. "Come in, both of you! I have to get back to the kitchen before your father burns something."

"It smells great so far. Do you need any help?" Chanyeol asks, looking ready to follow right behind her.

She waves him off, but Jongin can tell she's impressed. "No, no, we can handle dinner. You kids go sit down and relax."

She disappears back into the kitchen, leaving them alone in the hall. Chanyeol squeezes Jongin's hand comfortingly. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"No, it's wasn't," Jongin says, awed. "She likes you already."

"Of course she does," Chanyeol says, puffing up his chest. "If your dad is anything like her, this is gonna be a breeze. Do you have any extended family I can charm in the meantime?"

"Not really," Jongin snickers, leading him into the living room, "but just so you know, I do have--"

"Aha!" a loud voice interrupts. Jongin winces and looks up to see three familiar faces all narrowing their eyes at Chanyeol. "Who's this?"

"Chanyeol," Jongin says weakly, "these are my brothers, Minseok, Junmyeon, and Jongdae." The three of them continue glaring, and Chanyeol swallows nervously. "Guys, this is Chanyeol, my--"

"Your boyfriend," Jongdae finishes for him, crossing his arms. "We know."

Jongin rolls his eyes. "Because you just heard me say it to Mom?"

"Come sit down," Junmyeon says, ignoring him in favour of ushering Chanyeol towards the couch. Chanyeol gives Jongin a wary look but starts towards it. Jongin follows until Jongdae throws an arm around his shoulders to tug him into the dining room, pulling his hand out of Chanyeol's grasp.

"We'll just be a second," Jongdae calls over his shoulder, and Jongin gets one last glance of Chanyeol looking nervously between Minseok and Junmyeon before Jongdae corners him with a suspicious look.

The glare lasts all of two seconds before he dissolves into laughter and pulls Jongin into a hug. "God, I was so close to cracking in there! I really can't keep a straight face for that long." He pulls back to look at Jongin, grinning ear to ear. "How are you, baby bro? Congrats, by the way!"

Jongin gives him a confused look, trying to catch up. "For… what?"

"Uh, for the tall drink of water in the other room?" Jongdae says, thumbing over his shoulder. "Seriously, the boys did _not_ look like that when I was in first year."

Rolling his eyes, Jongin tries to get past him, but Jongdae blocks the way. "Okay, great, can we go back now so I can rescue him from your weird intimidation techniques?"

"Oh, come on," Jongdae laughs. "It's harmless! We're just making sure your boy knows what's up."

"What's up with _what_?" Jongin asks, exasperated.

"With us, if he messes with you," Jongdae explains, pointing between them. Jongin gives him an unimpressed look, and Jongdae huffs playfully. "Look, if everything goes well this might be the only time we get to do this, okay? Plus, it's for _your_ benefit after-- hey!"

Jongin ignores him, pushing past him back into the living room. Chanyeol is still where he left him on the couch, looking only marginally more scared for his life than before, with Minseok and Junmyeon circling him like sharks.

"--think you're good enough for our little brother, huh?" Junmyeon is saying, looking as menacing as he can in his plaid button-down. "You think you're home free just 'cause you got a dinner invite?"

"Uh," Chanyeol says, "no?"

"Good answer," Minseok says with a cold laugh. "Too bad it's the wrong one--"

"Can you put off being weird and invasive until after dinner, please?" Jongin sighs, rolling his eyes again. He crosses the room in three determined steps and sits down right beside Chanyeol, raising his eyebrows at his brothers. "How come you're never like this when Jongdae brings someone home?"

"Hey, yeah, why is that?" Jongdae asks, turning to Junmyeon with an offended look.

Junmyeon deflates a little. "We're just worried about Jongin--"

"And not about me?"

Minseok ignores them and turns back to Jongin and Chanyeol. "You're right," he sighs. "This probably wasn't the best way to make an introduction. I'm Minseok." He holds his hand out to Chanyeol, who takes it somewhat timidly. "It really is nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Chanyeol manages, his voice cracking a little.

"You're probably both tired from the long commute," he says, turning to usher Junmyeon and Jongdae, still bickering, towards the hall. "Come on, I think dad wants us to set the table. We'll talk later," he adds, shooting Chanyeol a cold look, then goes back to herding his brothers past the couch. He pauses for a moment to ruffle Jongin's hair before following the other two out of the room.

Once they're gone, Chanyeol turns to Jongin with raised eyebrows. "So, do you have any previous boyfriends who've disappeared under mysterious circumstances that I should know about?"

Jongin laughs tiredly, slumping against the couch. "Sorry, I should've warned you about them."

"Nothing wrong with a little friendly shakedown before dinner," Chanyeol says, shaking himself a little. "It could've been worse, though. I don't think they would be threatening to bury me in the yard if they didn't think we were really dating."

"Ugh, they're so awful sometimes," Jongin groans, rubbing his temples. "I'm _so_ sorry."

"For what?" Chanyeol asks, smirking at him. "Having siblings that want to make sure the guy you're dating isn't a scumbag? I mean, I can't say I blame them."

Jongin snorts. "I know they mean well, but they don't exactly have the most tactful approach. Sorry," he adds again. He wouldn't be surprised if Chanyeol wanted to drop the act and leave, after putting up with that - but Chanyeol just laughs and wraps his arm around Jongin's shoulders. His other hand finds Jongin's again and slides their fingers back together.

"Well, I want to say my sister would do the same thing, but you're cute, so she'd probably trust you right off the bat."

Jongin flushes pink, and unbidden smile appearing on his lips. "You think so?"

"Yeah, definitely. She'd probably interrogate _me_ instead."

"So she and my brothers would get along, is what you're saying."

Chanyeol laughs again, rubbing his thumb over the back of Jongin's hand. "Please, that's a nightmare waiting to happen. Let's talk about something less terrifying."

"Okay, how about…" Jongin trails off, pretending to think hard about it. "You and I having dinner with both my parents and being subjected to a bunch of embarrassing relationship questions?"

"Compared to your brothers?" Chanyeol turns to grin at him. "Easy."

Jongin smiles back, daring to wonder for half a second what it would be like if this was real. If they really were dating, meeting each other's parents and siblings, holding hands thoughtlessly--

"Dinner's ready," Junmyeon calls, peeking back into the room and startling him out of his thoughts. Jongin only realizes how close they were sitting when Chanyeol has to untangle his arm from around him, and blushes again at the knowing smile on Junmyeon's face.

"Come sit down. Dad really wants to meet you," he adds ominously to Chanyeol, then disappears into the dining room. Chanyeol seems to visibly steel himself, and Jongin gives his hand a comforting pat before they follow.

Luckily, Chanyeol is just as effortlessly charming to dads as he is to moms. Once they're all seated at the table, he starts conversation easily, with occasional peppering of compliments about their cooking. Jongin can tell his parents are pleased by his manners, and even his brothers grudgingly find themselves drawn into the conversation when they're not trying to stare him down across the table.

He and Jongin do have to field some relationship questions, but none to embarrassing as what Jongin was expecting. Chanyeol tells the story of how they met easily, even managing to look shy when Jongin's mom coos at him. It's not until he's halfway through the laundry room get-together part that Jongin realizes that he's just telling them what really happened, minus a few details. It makes him feel a little better about lying to everyone - at least they're _mostly_ telling the truth.

He's still nervous, though, practically waiting for something to go wrong every time he looks around the table. He very nearly yelps when Chanyeol's hand wanders over to rest on his thigh under the table. When he glances up, Chanyeol is laughing at something Junmyeon has said, not looking at Jongin at all - but his hand is a warm, comforting weight, and Jongin makes himself relax.

"Our Jongin has never brought anyone home before," his dad is saying when he zones back in. Most plates are clean, and the candles on the table are almost burned out. "It's nice to know that he's meeting good people."

"Like I said, I'm happy to be here," Chanyeol says with a shy smile.

"You're welcome anytime," Jongin's mom says, starting to gather the dishes. "Do you have plans for Christmas Eve, dear? We'll be having dinner here, so feel free to come along with Jongin."

" _Mom_ ," Jongdae whines. "You've never given a personal invite to any of _my_ friends!"

"Maybe if your friends didn't track mud all over my carpets, they'd get one."

"That was in _third grade_ \--"

"You're really too kind," Chanyeol laughs, then moves his hand from Jongin's leg to the back of his chair, smiling at him. "I'd be happy to tag along, if Jongin wants me to."

"We'll see," Jongin hums playfully, and resists the urge to hide his face under the tablecloth when the whole table coos at them. "Um, do you need help with the dishes, Mom?"

Chanyeol immediately stands up to stack his plate with Jongin's, but Jongin's mom waves him off. "Oh no, you're a guest!"

"This is the least I could do," Chanyeol insists, but she comes around the table to take the plates from him anyway.

"I'll kick you out of my kitchen if I have to," she warns, then smiles sweetly at him. "Don't you worry, I have four sons to wash the dishes for me-- oh, but not you, Jongin," she adds, stopping Jongin when he takes a step towards the sink. "Why don't you and Chanyeol go let the dogs in? The back porch should be dry if you want to sit out there."

Jongin catches a glimpse of Minseok narrowing his eyes at them and decides it might be best not to look this gift horse in the mouth. "Come on," he whispers, taking Chanyeol's hand, and leads him through the kitchen to the sliding glass door leading out to the backyard.

The porch is dry but the dogs are not, so Jongin and Chanyeol spend a few minutes trying to dry off the three wiggly excitable puppies without getting themselves soaked, only to have them tear off into the wet grass again. Jongin tosses his towel away in defeat and sits down on the edge of the porch, and Chanyeol joins him with a sigh, leaning back on his palms.

"You really don't have to come to Christmas dinner," Jongin says after a few moments of quiet. "I'll tell them we broke up, or something."

Chanyeol just laughs, head lolling on his shoulder when he turns to look at Jongin. "I don't know, I wouldn't mind reprising my role every now and then."

"I don't think my parents would mind, either," Jongin snickers. "The only other date they've met is Minseok's boyfriend Luhan - who's got, like, a condo and a record deal in China - and they didn't even like _him_ this much."

"I can only do my best," Chanyeol sighs, preening. "What about you, would you mind?"

"Mind what?"

"Keeping this up for a while," Chanyeol says, gesturing between them. "You can't deny we're good at it. And it gets you off the hook for any and all family get-togethers."

"Oh." Jongin hopes Chanyeol can't tell how fast his heart speeds up. "I… I'd have to think about it."

"Sure," Chanyeol says, smiling again after a moment. Jongin wonders if he's imagining the slight slump to his shoulders. "As for Christmas… I understand if you want to break up before that. I mean, who knows," he adds with a shrug, "maybe by then you'll have a _real_ boyfriend to bring home."

Jongin makes himself laugh. "I don't know. Maybe."

"Hey, come on," Chanyeol says, sitting up and putting a hand on Jongin's shoulder. "You're smart, you're nice - and I meant what I said about your smile." Jongin tries and fails to hold back a pleased grin, a fluttery feeling starting in his stomach.

"Honestly, anyone would be lucky to have you," Chanyeol goes on, holding his gaze. "Even for a fake date."

Jongin snorts and looks away, hiding his reddening face. "You say that like I pull this off all the time."

"Like I said, you're good at it, so I wouldn't know," Chanyeol laughs, taking his hand back to stand up. "Anyway, I'm gonna go find a drink. Do you want anything?"

Jongin watches him open the door and turn back with raised eyebrows before he remembers to respond. "Yeah, uh, whatever you're having is fine."

Chanyeol nods and slides the door back into place. As soon as he's gone, Jongin lets out a long breath, hanging his head.

 _Does_ he want to keep up this act with Chanyeol? Sure, it's nice to have him closeby, and things like hand-holding are starting to feel natural, but there's still the element of _pretend_ that puts a sour taste in Jongin's mouth. They're still lying, and the longer they keep it up the harder it'll be to get out of. Or maybe it just hurts a little to know that nothing they're doing together is based on real feelings.

Although, Jongin thinks, considering the flutters in his chest, the look in Chanyeol's eyes, the feeling of fingers fitting between his own... he might be wrong about that.

The quickest way to know would be to ask - but it's then that he realizes Chanyeol is still inside, and it's been a few minutes longer than it should take to find the fridge. Maybe he got roped into washing dishes after all, Jongin sighs to himself, and stands up to head inside after him.

Dinner's dishes are all perched in the drying rack beside the sink, but Chanyeol is nowhere to be seen. Neither are Jongin's brothers, which is a bad sign. Jongin narrows his eyes and sets off through the house, peeking into the living and dining rooms and even up the stairs before finding all four of them at the end of the hallway. Chanyeol is backed into the corner, looking small despite being nearly a head taller than the three brothers surrounding him, all giving what looks like a rather sinister lecture.

Jongin heads over with a scowl, interrupting Minseok mid-threat and swatting the three of them away. "Seriously, you guys? It looks like you're reading him his rights."

"Come on, he hasn't done anything wrong," Jongdae says brightly, patting Chanyeol's shoulder, then gives him an ominous smile. "Yet."

"Go pick on someone your own size," Jongin huffs, and with one last glower each, his brothers disperse.

He turns to Chanyeol with a frown, looking him over for injury. "Sorry, again. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. It was more of a drive-by this time," Chanyeol says with a relieved smile, and holds up two cans of soda. "Got you this, though."

Jongin laughs and takes one, leaning against the wall beside Chanyeol to open it. "I don't know what's up with them, honestly. What did they say to you?"

"Nothing much, just more of what they said earlier," Chanyeol says in between sips. "Oh, and also apparently if I break up with you, I'll die."

Jongin chokes a little. "They said that?"

"They… insinuated it."

"Oh."

"Yeah. So, listen," Chanyeol says, rubbing the back of his neck, "I know we were talking about breaking up earlier, but if it's not too much of an issue, could we get back together?" He slides his hand down the wall to reach Jongin's, carefully sliding their fingers together. "For real, this time?"

Jongin stares at him. "You want to?"

Chanyeol freezes. "You don't?"

"No, I do," Jongin says quickly, nearly dropping his drink in his haste to grab Chanyeol's hand back. "I really do, I--" He takes a deep, steadying breath. "I don't want to just... pretend."

"Neither do I," Chanyeol admits, smiling shyly at him. "And, well, if I'm risking bodily harm, it might as well be for real, right?"

Jongin laughs, relief and warmth flooding through him. "Okay, for the sake of your personal safety, we'll get back together." He pauses, thinking about it. "Or just together, I guess."

"Again with the ' _I guess_ '," Chanyeol chides, shaking his head with a smile. Jongin sticks his tongue out at him, and Chanyeol just laughs. "Alright, now that we've dodged that bullet, how about we go back outside to avoid another... incident?"

He peeks over his shoulder, and Jongin follows his gaze to where his brothers are sitting in the living room, glancing over every so often with not-quite-narrowed eyes.

"Good idea," Jongin says, and tugs Chanyeol along, leading the way past them.

"I'm glad we're staying together," Chanyeol muses as Minseok gives him a somewhat menacing V-sign _I'm watching you_ hand signal. "It'd be a shame to break up when I feel like your brothers are just starting to like me."

Jongin snorts so hard soda nearly comes out his nose, and all three brothers stare them down as they hurry out the door, snickering the whole way.

\--

Later, when the sun has long since gone down and his brothers have all dispersed for the night, Jongin leads Chanyeol upstairs to find pajamas and toothbrushes and, after all that, his bedroom.

He hasn't been home very much since term started, so it's hard to resist the urge to just flop on his bed by himself, but he pulls back the covers instead and lets Chanyeol clamber in first. It's then that Jongin remembers his bed is very tiny, and Chanyeol is, by comparison, very long.

They compromise by lying side by side facing each other, but it's still a tight fit. There's a only thin gap between them, their knees are knocking together even with Chanyeol backed up against the wall, and if Jongin moves at all he's sure he'll fall out - but when he mentions the last part to Chanyeol with a laugh, Chanyeol frowns and puts his arm around him, his hand resting almost possessively against Jongin's back. Jongin has to admit it does make him feel a little more secure.

Crowded or not, the bed is warm, the house is quiet, and after all the (albeit unnecessary) stress of the day, Jongin is suddenly exhausted. He knows there's something he has to say now, though, or he'll never work up the nerve.

"Chanyeol."

"Hm?"

"Thank you for coming today," Jongin says quietly, pushing it out in a rush. "And for being nice to my parents, and my brothers and my dogs. And for not thinking I'm weird or too shy and… for offering to do this for me in the first place."

"Aw, Jongin," Chanyeol coos at him. "It was nothing, seriously. I should be thanking you for letting me come along. And we both got something good out of it, right?" He leans a little closer, just barely brushing the tip of his nose against Jongin's. "I had a great time. Really."

Jongin can't help grinning, trying and failing to hide it under the covers. "I'm glad. I did, too."

Chanyeol moves back just far enough so that Jongin can see his smile, and they both lapse into silence for a few minutes. Jongin's eyelids are starting to droop when Chanyeol speaks up again. "Hey, what kind of stuff does your mom like?"

"Um, I don't know… flowers? Coffee?" Jongin rubs at his eyes with one hand. "Why?"

"For Christmas," Chanyeol says, like it's obvious. "It's only a month away, I gotta start getting ideas."

Jongin blinks at him. "You- you want to come to Christmas dinner?" he asks timidly, not wanting to get his hopes up. "Really?"

"Of course," Chanyeol says with a laugh. "I mean… I'm your boyfriend now, aren't I?"

Something about hearing it spoken out loud between them sets Jongin off, sending a flush of heat right down to his toes. He only manages an embarrassing squeak before he turns to hide his face in his pillow.

"What's wrong?" Chanyeol snickers. "Are you blushing?"

"No," Jongin mumbles, but he lets Chanyeol tilt his face back up, and melts a little more at the way he's smiling at him.

"You're so cute," Chanyeol murmurs, brushing his fingers across Jongin's cheek. "I wanted to tell you all night."

"Why didn't you?" Jongin asks, barely getting out more than a whisper.

Chanyeol hums, shifting closer again. "Maybe I wanted to keep your reaction all to myself."

Jongin is sure this is the reddest his face has ever been. He's either going to die of embarrassment or his heart beating right out of his chest. Chanyeol's face is so close to his, he's biting his lip and Jongin can't stop looking at his mouth, and-- "Can I kiss you?"

Chanyeol blinks, surprised for just a second before he breaks into a grin. "You sure can," he says, and leans over to meet Jongin's mouth halfway.

His lips are warm and soft and a little bit wet, sliding gently over Jongin's but pressing just hard enough to send a shiver through his whole body. It only lasts a few seconds but feels like ages longer, and leaves Jongin out of breath.

"First kiss," Chanyeol whispers when their lips part, "check."

Jongin snickers, heart still racing. "Maybe tomorrow we can plan a first date?"

Chanyeol frowns at him. "Didn't tonight count?"

"No," Jongin says, making a face. "On our first date, my parents will _not_ be there."

"That's fair," Chanyeol laughs. He settles beside Jongin again, one arm still slung over his waist. "Well, we have the whole weekend."

"And then some," Jongin hums, suddenly tired again.

"Let's try to get it done before Christmas dinner," Chanyeol suggests with a sheepish look. "I have to stay on your brothers' good sides, you know."

"Deal," Jongin laughs sleepily, and when he closes his eyes he finds that he can easily fit himself against Chanyeol's chest, tucked under his chin. He feels more than hears the _goodnight_ Chanyeol mumbles to him, and smiles at the soft kiss he presses to the crown of his head just before sleep wins him over.


End file.
